GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE
1. CONTRACTUAL PROVISIONS
The general terms and conditions herein, barring any
amendments or dispensations agreed upon in writing,
govern all sales contracts between Ceramica Valsecchia
(hereinafter simply also the Seller) and the Purchaser.
Changes to the general terms and conditions of sale,
quotes, credit notes or allowances granted by our agents
or other intermediaries are not valid unless they have been
accepted in writing by our head office. If one or more of
the terms and conditions herein should prove invalid,
the general terms and conditions shall remain valid as a
whole; the invalid parts shall be replaced by agreements
which are as close as possible to the parties’ original
intentions. Every quote, order confirmation and delivery
by the Seller is considered to have been made under
the terms and conditions herein, barring express written
dispensation signed by the Seller in person; acceptance
of such quotes and acceptance of delivery of products
from the Seller therefore implies the acceptance on the
part of the purchasers of the terms and conditions herein,
supplemented by any written agreements between the
parties. Fulfilment of the sales contract is conventionally
established as taking place on the Seller’s premises.
2. SUBJECT OF THE SUPPLY AND ORDER CONFIRMATION
The illustrations and descriptions in catalogues and price
lists, all our publications and sample sets are non-binding
and purely indicative. The dimensions of products subject
to sizing, particularly of floors in hard glazed porcelain and
porcelain stoneware, shall be understood to be within the
tolerance of use. The colours of the materials are always
understood to be approximate and any differences in
shade do not constitute a material defect and cannot
therefore be reported as such. The measurements, weights
and characteristics specified in our price lists shall be
understood to be indicative. The supply solely includes
the services, the materials and the quantities specified in
the order confirmation or in other written communications
from the Seller. The wording of the Seller’s order
confirmation shall prevail in any case over any wording
which differs from the possible quote or order. Orders
not confirmed in writing may under no circumstances be
deemed to be accepted, unless it is fulfilled by the Seller
in the form of written communication that the goods
are ready, of dispatch or delivery of the products. Partial
fulfilment of the order without prior confirmation does
not entail the approval of the entire order, but rather the
partial approval regarding the goods delivered. If this is the
case, delivery of the goods to the carrier will be tantamount
to the acceptance on the part of the Purchaser of the new
contractual proposal. Goods ordered by mistake or ordered
in excess by the Purchaser, as well as unsold goods, shall
not be withdrawn by the Seller.
3. DELIVERIES
Delivery shall be deemed to have been made at the Seller’s
plant. Goods always travel at the Purchaser’s risk and under
their responsibility so our liability ceases at the time of
their delivery to the carrier. The Purchaser is therefore also
liable for risks of possible breakages, tampering and/or
deterioration. Shipments, by sea or by land, concerning
suppliers abroad, are made under the terms and conditions
agreed upon each time, set out in the “Incoterms” approved
by the International Chamber of Commerce.
The agreed delivery date should be understood to be
in favour of both contractors. Expected delivery dates
are solely indicative and not mandatory. Any delays in
deliveries, interruptions, total or partial suspensions of
supplies shall not entitle the Purchaser to cancel orders or
to claim compensation for any direct or indirect damages.
The Seller expressly reserves the right to make partial
deliveries for each order.
The Seller is not liable towards the Purchaser for their own
failure to fulfil their obligations caused by events beyond
their reasonable control, such as, merely for example,
failure or delayed delivery of the processing materials
by suppliers, plant failures, strikes and other trade union
actions, interruption in the energy supply, suspension
or difficulties in transportation. Every event of force
majeure shall suspend the expected delivery date for the
full duration of the said event. If, as a result of events of
force majeure, the contract cannot be fulfilled within 60
days after the agreed date, either party shall be entitled
to withdraw from the contract itself. If this is the case, the
declaration of this withdrawal shall be sent to the other
party by registered letter with advice of receipt or by
certified e-mail within 10 days after the aforementioned
60 day-period, without prejudice to the mutual rights to
compensation or damages.
6. PRICES AND TERMS OF PAYMENT
The product prices specified in the catalogues currently in
force are EXW (Ex Works); consequently, any other charge
relating to shipment, delivery and/or transportation lies
under the sole responsibility of the Purchaser. Prices are
understood to be net of legal VAT, which must be paid in
accordance with the information provided on the invoice.
The place of payment is set as being at our Administrative
Headquarters in Villalunga di Casalgrande (RE), also in the
case of issuing of drafts, cash orders or bills of exchange: any
dispensation from the above shall only be valid if granted
by us in writing. Delayed payment, even partial, of our
invoices after the agreed due date shall give rise - as set out
by the law - to the automatic accruing of interest on arrears,
calculated in accordance with the provisions of Italian Leg.
Decree no. 231 of 2002, as subsequently amended;
moreover, non-payment or delayed payment - including
partial - of invoices whatever the reason shall entitle the
Seller, without prejudice to any other initiative, to demand
the advance payment of the remaining supplies or,
alternatively, to suspend the supplies or terminate ongoing
contracts, even if these do not relate to the payments
in question, as well as to claim compensation for any
damages. Compensation by the Purchaser is not permitted
in the form of credit notes, however incurred, towards the
Seller.The list prices in force on the day of delivery apply for
invoicing. In the event of a change in prices between the
order confirmation and the day of the supply, the Seller is
entitled to adjust the agreed prices to the new situation.
Nevertheless, if the said price exceeds the agreed price
at the time of order by 20%, the Purchaser may withdraw
from the contract by sending written notification thereof by
registered letter with advice of receipt or by certified e-mail
within the mandatory deadline of 10 days from receipt of
the price rise notice to our administrative headquarters in
Villalunga di Casalgrande (RE). Otherwise the new price
shall be deemed to be accepted.
No claim or dispute concerning the quality of the goods,
defects or flaws, or any other aspect of the contract, shall
be effective and may be taken into account, and no action
may be taken until after the full payment of the supply has
been made.
In the event that payment, by contractual agreement, must
be made - in whole or in part - after delivery, the delivered
products remain the property of the Seller until the full
payment of the supply has been made. The goods subject
to the reservation of title shall be physically set aside by
the Purchaser and identified as the property of the Seller.
9. GUARANTEE AND CLAIMS
The products made by the Seller conform to the UNI and
EN standards currently in force. Our guarantee is limited to
first-choice materials. Any guarantee for flaws is therefore
expressly excluded for second- and third-choice materials
or stock materials and for occasional consignments.
These materials are sold “as is”. First-choice materials are
guaranteed as conforming to the ISO standards in force
at the time of sale with a tolerance of 5% (five percent);
the colour of the material supplied may differ from the
sample displayed, since ceramic is inherently variable in
its appearance. For all issues not expressly set out herein,
the products are sold with reference to the customary
professional standards and rules in use in the ceramic
sector and to the recommendations of use specified in our
general catalogue. The Purchaser is obliged to inspect the
goods in terms of quality and quantity. Any complaints
and disputes must be reported within 8 (eight) days of
receipt of the goods, on penalty of forfeiture of the right
to the guarantee, by registered letter with advice of receipt
or certified e-mail, to our administrative headquarters in
Villalunga di Casalgrande (RE). The material considered as
faulty must be kept at the disposal of Ceramica Valsecchia
for the inspection the latter deems appropriate to carry
out; any further action (return, repair or other) must be
authorised by us in advance in writing. The material
disputed and/or to be returned must be stored by the
Purchaser in an appropriate manner, protected against
atmospheric agents, so as to avoid any damage. Claims and
requests for work under guarantee after installation will not
be considered in the event that the defect in question is
obvious (e.g. chipped tiles, dimensional defects, differences
in colour, etc.). Claims attributed to hidden defects or flaws
must be lodged formally in writing by registered letter with
advice of receipt or by certified e-mail to our administrative
headquarters in Villalunga di Casalgrande (RE) within 8
(eight) days of their discovery and, in any case, within one
year of delivery, on pain of forfeiture of any other right to
the guarantee and the right to compensation. In addition
to the invoicing data, the claim must contain a precise
description of the defect, a quotation of the costs of repair
or modification of the product; in the absence of these data
the claim shall be considered null and void. The guarantee
for hidden defects remains void or limited in the case of:
unauthorised removal of the work, installation not carried
out professionally, non-compliance with our requirements
and particular directives of application, damages resulting
from lack of normal diligence which have affected the
containment of the said damages. The use of goods
that are visibly defective or different from those ordered
implies acceptance of the quality characteristics and
excludes any eventual future claim. If the claim is found
to be unfounded, the Purchaser shall compensate the
Seller for all expenses incurred in the investigation (trips,
appraisals, etc.). The obligation of Ceramica Valsecchia
is, in any case, limited to the replacement of defective
parts only or to their repair, with the express exclusion of
other different compensation such as, for example but in
no way limited to: the costs of removing and reinstalling
furniture, equipment, machinery, etc., loss of earnings due
to interruption or suspension of activities, inconvenience,
indirect damage etc. The presence of defective tiles does
not affect the quality of the entire supply nor does it entail
the obligation of complete replacement. The time limits
for the duration of the guarantee are those set out by the
Italian Civil Code.
The Purchaser may not transfer their position in the
contract or in individual mandatory relationships deriving
therefrom without the written acceptance of the Seller:
also in this case, the Purchaser remains in any case
jointly responsible with the transferee for the obligations
transferred.
The Terms and Conditions of Sale herein and every contract
entered into by the Seller and the Purchaser, including
export sales contracts, are governed by Italian law. For any
and all disputes arising from the supply contract, either
from Ceramica Valsecchia or from the Purchaser, the Court
with sole jurisdiction is the Court of Reggio Emilia. It is in
any case the Seller’s right to call upon different judicial
authorities.
12 INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY AND SELECTIVE
DISTRIBUTION – LIMITS ON RESALE
Ceramica Valsecchia is the owner and legitimate holder of
exclusive rights relating to the trademarks, designs and
invention patents. Ceramica Valsecchia manages the supply
of its products through a selective distribution system.
The supplies received from Ceramica Valsecchia and its
authorised selective stores are intended for installation
on the end user’s premises and no other form of resale is
permitted to any other commercial intermediaries other
than the end users, unless written permission is given by
Ceramica Valsecchia. Resale of the goods in violation of
this prohibition must be considered as not permitted and
Ceramica Valsecchia reserves the right to take legal action
against anyone involved in unauthorised resales.
4. DELIVERY DATES
5. FORCE MAJEURE
7. SOLVE ET REPETE
10. TRANSFER OF THE CONTRACT
8. RESERVATION OF TITLE
11. APPLICABLE LAW AND COURT WITH JURISDICTION
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